F1 British Grand Prix Odds: Silverstone braces for Racing Gods at War
With a few changes already in place, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone Circuit promises a few twists and turns to the ongoing Formula One championship. From car upgrades to preparations to expectations to attitudes, a lot has changed since the European Grand Prix and more is expected to change by the time cars cross the finish line at Silverstone.
The Silverstone circuit that was in danger of going off the Formula One calendar after last year continues to be the centre of attention and will be hosting the race at a very interesting and tense point in the championship. The 5.9 km long circuit however underwent a few changes in its layout and now has a few longer straits and high speed corners. Expect a lot of overtaking and drama from this circuit which is going to be a test of man and machine.
Currently, McLaren and both its drivers are leading the championship with Red Bull breathing down their necks. Ferrari are not too far behind and look promising after fine tuning their recent exhaust system upgrades. Team McLaren will come into the championship after having worked on their exhaust blown diffusers and will definitely carry much more pace. After Valencia, Lewis Hamilton said that he was extremely satisfied with the performance of the car even without the upgrades. However, recently he added that Red Bull have the kind of pace that will ensure victory in Britain and they are the team to beat. One thing is certain; a firm favourite for the upcoming race is hard to find.
It will not only be the McLaren and Red Bull team fighting it out to the chequered flag as Ferrari F10 is yet to unleash the improvements resulting from its exhaust system upgrades. As a result of the safety car incident in Valencia, both Ferrari drivers were left to run their races in the midst of traffic. But whatever advantage they gained from the new exhaust system will be evident at Silverstone. Ferrari is not the only threat to the top runners as Renault also intends to rise from the canvas in Rocky Balboa style to hunt down the McLarens and the Ferraris. In a recent statement, Renault’s Chief Engineer Alan Permane has said that at their current rate of improvement it will not take Renault too long to challenge the two teams. However, McLaren and Ferrari would hope that Renault’s improvements take forever. Renault has already done reasonably well, especially Kubica, who after the first race of the current season, never failed to score points and occupies the sixth slot in the drivers’ championships.
Old rivalries are expected to renew at Silverstone and this race is going to be a feast for the spectators. Fernando Alonso, who wasn’t already the biggest admirer of McLaren and Hamilton, had much cause in Valencia to set ablaze another verbal war. Alonso, who even went on to blame the FIA for ‘race manipulation’, has recently said that he is going transform his anger into energy to perform better. It doesn’t take a genius to find out the amount of anger Alonso experienced when he was being a steaming hot cinder after Valencia. What happens once all that anger transforms into energy? Watch out Lewis Hamilton!
Kobayashi’s impressive drive in Valencia has raised the spirits of the Sauber Team for the upcoming race and his teammate Pedro de la Rosa expects that the team can pull off another finish in the points in a few days’ time. A stern challenge for Sauber in their battle for points finish will be Force India who have been quick to follow the top runners in upgrading their exhaust mechanisms and Mercedes GP who have backed Schumacher on doing a satisfactory job. Hopefully the German team will also be able to curtail the utter disappointment experienced by Rosberg who believes that the team is moving backwards.
And just when one thinks that a thrilling qualifying session, breathtaking race start, strategic pit stops and heart stopping overtaking is there on the menu for the race weekend, Adrian Sutil, playing the weatherman, comes up with rain predictions for the race day.
All eyes are set at Silverstone with Hamilton, aware of Red Bull’s pace, Mark Webber, with a lot of making up to do with his team and his fans after his crash in Valencia. Alonso, who would be ready to exploit the slightest c***k in Hamilton’s armour, Jenson Button who wants to add his home race to the trophy cabinet and is ready to take on Hamilton who would be fighting for the similar cause, Kobayashi with sky high confidence, Renault with some quick improvements and Vettel with the intent to gain championship lead.
What we can’t guarantee is who will win this race, but what we can guarantee for sure is that this race will go into Formula One folklore.
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